#ThrowbackThursday – Today we time travel back 52 years to the site of the newly built offices for the Shire of Eltham, a beautiful 1960s design erected on the original site of Shillinglaw Cottage, where we are witness to the asphalting of the driveway. Following the dissolution of the Shire of Eltham in December 1994 and its amalgamation with the Shire of Diamond Valley, the offices were demolished in August 1996 and the driveway became part of Library Place. Interesting given that the Eltham Library was located in the opposite (southern) end of the Shire Office building until the new library was built in its present location in 1994. This view is from the northern end of the Shire Office looking east towards Main Road and the Eltham War Memorial Hall building. The grass section is the site of the current Eltham Senior Citizens Centre and the location of our Society meetings, built sometime between this photo being taken and 1968, the future of which is itself now up for discussion. The Senior Citizens Centre can be seen in the 1968 image of the Shire Office below.

50 Years 1967-2017

The Shire of Eltham: People living in the environment (c.1985)

This video was produced for the Shire of Eltham in response to the 1985 Victorian Local Government Commission Report titled ‘The
Restructure of Local Government in Victoria – Principles and Program’ (the Morris review). The recommendation was to amalgamate the Shires of Eltham and Diamond Valley, something that Eltham Council did not support as being appropriate for the shire or compatible with the ‘Spirit of Eltham’. The video features Shire President, Cr. Mary Grant talking with the Hon. Pauline Toner MP and Max McDonald MP. Eltham Shire CEO Rodney Roschellor presents an alternate proposal for a shire merging more aligned to the ‘Spirit of Eltham’.Also featured are Eltham icons such as the Eltham Railway Trestle Bridge, Montsalvat, Eltham Community Centre along with mudbrick making, artist Matcham Skipper, the Green Wedge and St Andrews Market. Other commentary is provided by locals Judy Wadham and Lester Eaton.

MAIN RD, ELTHAM, FEB. 1968 (HISTORYPIN)

Check out our collection of images of Main Road, Eltham between Bridge Street and Elsa Court which were taken in February 1968 just before duplication of the road. (Use the slider to fade from 1968 to current Google Streetview.)

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Our Society encourages interest in and the sharing of stories about the local history of the Eltham district in Victoria, Australia